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Thursday, March 14, 2013

Facebook Brings VoIP Capabilities to Android Messaging App

Facebook is the most popular social networking site that recently announced that the its data base of users had crossed the 1 billion mark. The site is so popular that it is used in almost all the countries in the world. Signing up and creating an account is very easy and one just needs and email ID, which serves as the username and a password can be created on the spot and the account is ready to use. It is a great medium to interact with friends and family. You can exchange photos and videos or upload them on your timeline for friends to view. Any new event like an engagement or a wedding, addition of a new member in the family and many other social events are reported on Facebook and can be instantly accessed by the people you are close to, provided they have a Facebook account.

Facebook was also found to be one of the best means to send and receive text messages, and served very well as an instant messaging system where urgent messages could be instantly conveyed free of cost. Though one needs to have completed 13 years of age to be eligible to sign up for an account with Facebook, there are several account holders who are below the official age who are active members. The fact is that there are more number of teenaged members who make up a major bulk of the 1 billion users. The surprising thing though is that there several senior citizens who are active members as they probably find it most convenient to keep in touch with their loved ones. In order to help these members communicate better, Facebook has taken a major decision that will only attract more members to join the already large group. The decision is to bring VoIP, or voice over internet protocol capabilities to the Android Messaging App.

This recent decision of Facebook was welcomed with lusty cheers by most existing members and will certainly attract many more to join up. This translates to a fantastic jump in revenues from advertisements and other sources like apps etc. This simply translates to the fact that users will now be able to make voice calls over a wireless network (Wi-Fi) or a cellular network to friends and family. This voice call functionality that Facebook Messenger for Android is to have may be a minor update by itself, but the effects that this feature is going to have will certainly be phenomenal. To start with, the Canadian users of Facebook already have access to this feature and not before long, Facebook should be extending this fantastic feature to all its users worldwide.

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What makes it all the more special is that the messenger App is set to get a makeover and will be unleashed in a new avatar with several improvements. The new version, once introduced will automatically enable all the users to make voice calls over the app, probably leading to a gridlock on the Internet, as that will be the medium through which the calls will be routed. The possibilities this feature throws up are tremendous. You will be able to indulge in group conversations and adding new entrants can be done by a simple swipe towards the left. The group conversation itself can be initiated by just a tap on your screen, on the top. You will be able to identify a group by typing the name and join in, if invited. There will be no charges whatsoever, making this feature the most sought after in Facebook. The version 2.3.1 is already available for download on Google Play, and is of course, free of charge. People having Android devices running the 2.2+ versions can take advantage of the free VoIP call feature.

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